


Rest

by Akiko_Natsuko



Series: Reaper76 [40]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Illnesses, M/M, Marriage, Overworking, Sleep Deprivation, Stress, Work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-15
Updated: 2018-10-15
Packaged: 2019-08-01 03:03:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16276580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiko_Natsuko/pseuds/Akiko_Natsuko
Summary: Jack is pushing everyone away including his husband as he struggles to bear the weight of his job. However, Gabriel doesn't care about Strike Commander Morrison-Reyes, all he cares about is Jack and he's determined to bring him back.





	Rest

“Gabriel?”

      Gabriel looked up from the report that he had been trying to make sense of for the last hour or so, wondering yet again why McCree couldn’t seem to get the gist of writing a mission report that didn’t read like a poorly scripted western. Maybe, of volunteered McCree to work through some of the other reports that needed dealing with he might work it out…or not, Gabriel had tired that before, it had resulted in him having to redo every report that McCree had touched. It wasn’t worth the headache, and he sighed before coming up short as he found Ana leaning against the doorway.

    It was rare for her to visit his office, and the agitated expression that had replaced her usual calm ha him immediately setting the report aside, trying to remember the last time he’d seen her look like that. It had probably been the day that Fareeha had decided to see how high she could get up the base, by climbing the outside walls. He was sure they’d all gained at least a dozen grey hairs from that escapade, and he’d thought that Jack was going to have a heart attack, especially when Fareeha had decided to leap off a little too far from the ground, super soldier reflexes proving their worth that day. A sharp cough told him that his thoughts had wandered for a little too long and he blinked, before waving for her to come in, frowning as he asked quietly. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s your husband.” Typical Ana, blunt and straight to the point, but whilst he normally appreciated that side of her, at this moment he wanted nothing than to growl at her. She should know that she couldn’t come in and say something like that, and leave like that, and he glared at her, eyes narrow, silently demanding an explanation. Ana sighed, closing the door behind her before moving across to drop into the chair facing his desk, meeting his gaze with hesitation. “Gabriel, have you looked at him lately?” She asked after studying him for a moment, holding up a hand to silence him when he immediately opened his mouth to protest. “I mean, really looked.”

    The urge to protest is still there, because of course he’s looked at Jack. However, he can’t say the words because he knows exactly what she’s talking about. She’s talking about how Jack is paler than a ghost these days, his freckles standing out starkly across his cheeks, and the fact that the bags under his eyes seem to have bags of their own. She’s talking about how he seems unfocused…distracted… trailing off in the middle of conversations regardless of who he’s talking to, snapping irritably only to apologise a moment later with a look of confusion. He’s slipping, and he’s been slipping for it and Gabriel is fully aware of that fact, his expression darkening as he looked down, unable to bear the sympathetic expression Ana has adopted.

“I don’t know what to do,” he admitted reluctantly after a couple of minutes, his hands twisting together on top of his desk, his fingers brushing his wedding ring. “I’ve tried getting him to take time off…” That conversation had ended with angry words, the damned title of Strike-Commander being thrown in his face before Jack had practically fled their quarters, not returning for almost a week and when he’d finally reappeared he’d looked worse than ever. Gabriel had tried to broach the subject a few more times since, but he was always shut down before he got past the _‘Maybe we should…’_

    Lifting his head, he glanced across at the photo that was perched on the edge of his desk, eyes softening as he studied it. It had been taken on their wedding the day, the two of them practically melded together as they flashed their rings at the camera, but what really caught his attention now was the warm smile on Jack’s face and the brightness of the blue eyes looking back of him. It was an expression that he hadn’t seen in far too long, and it made his next words that much more painful to say. “I’m losing him…”

“Gabriel…”

“How do I bring him back, Ana?” He cut her off, desperation in his voice and he couldn’t stop his voice from rising as he continued, the words pouring out of him. These thoughts had been haunting him for weeks…months…without an outlet, but now that he was saying them aloud, it felt like each word was tearing him apart and he couldn’t bring himself to look at Ana as he felt his eyes beginning to sting. “How do I stop that job from killing him? How do I stop him from killing himself in that damned office?” _How do I bring my Jack back…?_

     Neither of them had wanted the Strike-Commander job when it had come up, just the thought of it had been enough to leave a bitter taste in their mouths, because what it had boiled down to, was the world saying that their partnership which had kept them alive throughout the Omnic Crisis and formed the foundations of Overwatch was no longer enough. Worse, they had felt that the position posed a threat to that partnership, a wedge that they didn’t want to let come between them. Jack had been even more adamant about not wanting the position, vocal in his opposition of the idea. He had always preferred just being a soldier, doing his job, always happy to back Gabriel up and take point as and when needed, but he didn’t want or need rank or power, and he didn’t want the responsibility that would come with that promotion.

    It had been Jack who had argued for days on end that the position should go to Gabriel if they were insistent on giving it to one of them, or even Ana. However, in the end he had been overruled and the mantle of Strike-Commander had fallen on his shoulders. Gabriel knew why they’d made the decision, he had been a good leader during wartime, but he was too blunt, too brash to work in the diplomatic circles that would be their battlegrounds now, whereas Jack…or the old Jack at least had always been social butterfly, the warm smile that Gabriel had fallen in love with drawing everyone to him like moths to a flame, and he had the charm to keep them there afterwards.

It wasn’t enough…

     It had barely been three months into the job that Gabriel had seen the first crack appearing in his husband’s spirit, coming home to find Jack huddled in their bed, eyes raw and reddened from weeping, a broken expression on his face that Gabriel had never seen before. They’d spent the night curled together in bed, neither of them sleeping a wink as Jack hid against him, alternating between silence and broken sobs that had threatened to break Gabriel in to. However, what had been worse was the quiet, desperate pleading. Jack begging for them to leave, to just go somewhere where they could be alone, somewhere where Jack wasn’t ‘Strike-Commander Morrison-Reyes.’ It hadn’t been plausible at the time, there was still too much to do to make sure their victory wasn’t for nought, and too much left that they wanted to do, and so the moment had passed and for a time things had seemed to go back to normal.

    Now, looking back, Gabriel wished that he had said yes when the opportunity had presented itself, wished that he had whisked his husband away to find that mythical place where no one knew who they were or what they had done.

    A loud bang made him jump, instinctively reaching for his gun before he realised that it had been Ana slamming her hands down on the desk. She was now gripping the edge of it and giving him a glare that he knew from painful experience meant that he was in trouble.

“You can stop feeling sorry for yourself for a start,” she snapped at him and he flinched at her tone, but he knew better than to protest, wondering just what his expression had been showing whilst he was lost in thought and cursing the fact that she could read him nearly as well as Jack could. She wasn’t holding back now though, and her next words felt like a knife twisting in the wound. “Gabriel, you’re the only person in this building that Jack will listen to.” _And vice verse,_ Gabriel could hear the unspoken words, remembering all the times that them on the other person whenever they wanted to drag them into whatever mischief was being planned. He’d always loved how much they’d had each other wrapped around their little finger, but now it felt like a painful reminder of just how much had changed, a reminder that right now he couldn’t even start the conversation that they needed to have, and his hurt became anger, turning his voice into a low growl when he replied.

“I’ve tried!”

“Yes, on your own,” Ana pointed out and Gabriel froze, growling under his breath when he caught her lips quirking up into a knowing smirk, even as that expression had hope blossoming. He had learnt a long time ago that, that expression mean that she was readying herself to blast through every obstacle in her path…in their path. “Gabe…”

“I’ll do it,” he interrupted her, knowing that he might come to regret it and that it was probably a little too reckless going along with her without asking questions. He was fully aware of how devious she could be when backed into a corner, but as he glanced at the photo again he pushed any doubts he had to the back of his mind, his voice steady as he looked back at her. “Whatever you have planned, I’ll do it. Just…please, help me bring him back.” Ana’s expression softened at the quiet plea and she reached across the desk to grasp his hand.

“Of course.”

****

    Jack rubbed a weary hand across his face, trying to ignore the way his fingers trembled and the way his vision blurred for a moment, forcing him to close his eyes and wait for the world to settle. It was something that had been happening more and more, and a small part of him knew and acknowledged that it was a bad sign, that it was yet more evidence that he was slowly coming apart at the seams. However, there was nothing he could do about it right now. The pile of files on his desk was never-ending, it seemed for every report, every mission that he signed off on, another twenty appeared before he had even finished scrawling his name, and more than once he had been tempted to burn the whole pile. He could just imagine the look on his superiors’ faces if he handed them a pile of ash, and the temptation to do just that skyrocketed for a moment and he huffed out a laugh, a hollow, brittle sound that echoed in the lonely silence of his office. For half a moment he had almost felt and sounded like himself, had almost sounded like his husband at his most world weary.

_Gabe…_

    All traces of amusement vanished as his thoughts turned towards his husband, and his eyes darted to the photo on his desk before skittering away again. Things were strained between them at the moment, falling apart at the seams just like him and he knew that it was his fault. Because as much as he wanted to blame the job, he knew that he was the one who kept snapping, the one who kept pushing Gabriel away even though it was the opposite of what he wanted. He wanted. No, he needed his husband. He needed someone who didn’t look at him and just see the Strike-Commander, he needed someone who could look beyond the uniform and the title and see Jack, or what remained of him, and yet whenever Gabe tried to reach out to him, he shoved him away, throwing that same title in his face. And one of these days he knew it was going to be too much, that he would push one time too many and Gabe would walk away, and yet he couldn’t seem to stop.

    His head was pounding now, his thoughts chasing themselves in circles as they always seemed to do these days and he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force the pain back. It wouldn’t work, it never did and after a moment he opened his eyes again, forcing himself to turn back to the report he was working on. It was easier to focus on the job, than the mess that was his life. He had to focus on the job. He had to do his job… The words on the page were blurring as he starred at them, seeming to shift right in front of his eyes and he groaned, running a hand across his face again. _I have to do this. I have to do this job right. I have too…_

    A sharp knock at the door cut through his spiralling thoughts, startling him far more than it should have, another sign that he was slipping. It took him a moment to calm himself and his breathing enough to call a quiet reply, and he immediately wished that he hadn’t when the door swung open to reveal a grim-faced Gabriel, with Ana close on his heels. Jack couldn’t hide his sigh at the sight of them, but he didn’t miss the hurt that flashed in his husband’s eyes at the response and he carefully fixed his gaze at a midway point between the two of them as they stepped inside, unable to bring himself to look at either of them. His uneasiness only grew, settling into the pit of his stomach as Ana closed the door firmly behind them, trapping him in with them.

“What can I do for you?” He asked, voice formal and polite, even as his heart ached at having Gabriel so close and yet so far, his job and reaction filling the distance between them. It hurt, and he couldn’t stop himself from twisting his hands together nervously where they’d fallen into his lap, knuckles turning white as his grip tightened as the silence stretched on for an uncomfortable amount of time before finally Gabriel broke it with a sigh of his own.

“I don’t want to speak to Strike-Commander Morrison-Reyes,” Gabriel’s voice was soft and cautious in a way that made Jack’s heart ache, and he hadn’t missed the emphasis on his surname, on their surname and his gaze flitted to the ring of his finger for a moment, the ache intensifying. It wasn’t enough to stop him from tensing though as Gabriel continued. “I want to speak to my husband.”

“They’re one and the same Gabriel.” _And there’s more left of the former, than the latter…_

“No,” Gabriel snapped taking half a step forward, only to take a deep breath when Ana followed him, laying a hand on his shoulder to calm him. However, it didn’t remove the fierce gleam in his eyes, one that had Jack flinching back and trying to curl in on himself. “They’re not the same, and you used to know that! You used to be the one to say they weren’t.”

     Jack can hear the concern behind those words and the affection, the love, in Gabriel’s voice and he wanted to respond, he wants to be able to give Gabriel what he wants. What they both want. It’s something he wants more than he’s wanted anything in a long time, but even as he stares wide-eyed at Gabriel, there is a haze settling over his thoughts, irritation that isn’t entirely his is bubbling up in his chest. All he can see now is the folders covering his desk, the desk that he had never wanted, in an office that he had never wanted and had come to hate with all his being, and yet at some point that same office had become his world, had become a chain around his neck. All he can feel is the weight of everything resting on his shoulders, the pressure that’s curling around him like a choking force and when Gabriel steps forward, reaching for him with an expression that should be reserved for the old Jack, the one that no longer exists. The man who had deserved that kind of love, rather than the broken relic left behind, he snaps.

“Get out!” _Stay…_

     Gabriel flinches at his tone, but what’s worse is that he doesn’t look surprised by the reaction, almost as though he had been expecting it, and Jack knows that he should care that things have reached that point between them. He knows that he should stop, but everything is bubbling up now, spiralling out of control around him, his head pounding worse than ever as the world itself begins to spin around him. He’s vaguely aware of Gabriel moving towards him, no doubt trying to help him even now and he flinches back out of reach, and the pressure bubbling up in his chest reaches breaking point and suddenly he’s shouting, screaming, tears trickling down his cheeks. “GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!” He wants to stop, he needs to stop, but the words won’t stop coming and eventually it becomes white noise, adding to the blurring, spinning mess that the world had become, and somewhere between the shouts, a choked please slips out. “Please...please…” _Make it stop. Make me stop…_

     There’s a sharp pain in the side of his neck, but it barely registers through the chaotic emotions and the fog clouding his thoughts, and the next thing he knows he feels like he’s falling, both figuratively and literally, his body sliding sideways out of his chair as his thoughts begin to spiral downwards. There are warm arms to catch him and there’s a brief thought that he should be pulling away, that he doesn’t deserve that warmth, but he doesn’t have the strength to pull away. Darkness is rushing over him in a wave now, pulling him under, and the last thing he hears is Gabe’s voice, far too close and too concerned after what he’s just done, the words making no sense to him as he slips under.

“Jack! Jack?! Ana, what the hell…was that really necessary?!”

****

     Gabriel sighed as he studied Jack’s sleeping features, his fingers gentle as he traced the new lines that have formed around his husband’s eyes and mouth, yet more evidence of what the job had been doing to him. Jack had been asleep for nearly twenty-four hours now, an unintended consequence of Ana’s ambush as his body fought to cling to the sleep that it had obviously been craving and needing for far too long, and whilst Angela had reassured them that he would be okay, Gabriel wouldn’t feel at ease until he had woken up, even briefly. In part because he wanted to apologise for what had happened, knowing that Jack was going to be angry about being ambushed like that. He’d known that he should have asked Ana what she’d been planning, if only so that he hadn’t been caught by surprise, and whilst he couldn’t deny the success of her method, it still left an unpleasant taste in his mouth to know that he had inadvertently helped to trap his husband.

“Jack,” he whispered, leaning in to press a kiss into messy, blond hair that was slowly becoming streaked with lines of silver. Even in sleep Jack looked stressed, and for a moment all Gabriel could remember was how broken he had looked back in his office when he had been screaming at him to get out, and how it had looked as though he was fighting with himself and losing. Swallowing, he pulled his husband closer, wishing yet again that he had stepped in sooner. That he had stopped it from getting to this point, and he closed his eyes, feeling them beginning to burn as he kissed Jack again. “I’m sorry.”

**

      Jack frowned as he slowly began to drift towards awareness, feeling as though he was fighting his way up through a thick cloud of smoke, sleep trying to cling to him and drag him back under. It was a familiar feeling, one that greeted him every morning and after every snatched moment of sleep at the moment, because his body craved sleep, needed it, but he couldn’t sleep. As always, he pushed that thought, that need aside and focused on waking up. He had work to do. He always had work to do. The pile of paperwork had been threatening to topple over and he had a dozen meetings coming up over the next few days that he needed to prepare for, and the files wouldn’t stop coming.

It was too much.

     That thought was too much right now, and he couldn’t stop himself from burying his face back into the pillow. It was too much. Everything was too much at the moment. The job, his own thoughts, his friends and Gabriel…he swallowed, memory stirring, and he felt a wave of nausea as he vaguely recalled screaming at his husband, although the memory was distorted and vague, almost like it had happened in a dream.

“Jackie?” The voice was unexpected, both in its suddenness and closeness, and in the warm affection that he could hear in it. _Why do you sound like that?_ His memory was clearing now. He had screamed at Gabriel, had told him to get out, pushing him away yet again, and yet Gabriel was still here, still holding on to him. He was even acting as a pillow Jack realised, becoming aware of the steady rise and fall of his husband’s chest beneath him and it was too much. Jack stilled, feigning sleep although he already knew that it was too late, and besides, he had never been able to fool Gabe, even when they had first met, and he bit his lip as he felt gentle fingers beginning to run through his hair. “Jack, I know that you’re awake.” The sensation of his husband’s fingers in his hair was soothing despite his own whirling thoughts, and he couldn’t stop himself from leaning into the sensation, craving the gentle touch and humming under his breath as Gabe continued. He started when Gabe chuckled softly at his reaction, fond, not mocking, and it was that sound which finally spurred him into finally opening his eyes.

“Ga…” He realised too late that it had been a mistake to try and speak, the world spinning around him in a nauseating swirl of colours and blurred shapes, as a rushing sound flooded his ears. It felt like his stomach was doing somersaults and realising what was about to happen he abruptly rolled over, regretting the movement, but unable to do anything else as he leant over the side and vomited.

    Gabriel had moved with him, one hand moving to rub gentle circles against his back, whilst the other held Jack in place, preventing him from rolling off the bed and into his own sick. Part of Jack wanted to push him away, not wanting him to see him in this state, not after what had happened, the fog clearing further from his mind. However, a larger part of him realises that Gabriel has already seen him in worse states. The SEP had shown them both at their weakness and it was hard to worry about anything after your roommate had seen your body trying to turn itself inside out, and besides, he felt terrible right then and all he wanted was to curl around his husband, something he hadn’t done in far too long and go back to sleep. If possible, he wanted to sleep until this illness, whatever it was gone. Sleep until he no longer felt permanently exhausted. Sleep until he could forget about the job, and the work waiting for him. Sleep until he could forget all about being Strike-Commander.

“Easy Jack,” Gabriel murmured in his ear, voice low and soothing, just as it had been back in their quarters in SEP when Jack had been curled up in a tight ball and crying his eyes out as the pain had threatened to tear him apart completely. “Easy.” Jack’s fairly sure that he says something else, but the words are fading in and out of focus, and his stomach is churning again although he’s certain there’s nothing, but bile left for him to bring up at this point. That thought brings a frown to his face, because he can’t remember the last time he ate, or what he’d eaten, but he quickly dismisses the thought, even as his arms creep protectively around his sore stomach, unable to stop the soft whimper that slips out, as he throws up again.

     Eventually he’s finished, his stomach hurting but finally beginning to settle and he just slumps where he is, too exhausted to even think about moving, although his nose wrinkles at the arid scent of his vomit from just beneath him. It’s Gabriel who moves him a couple of minutes later, gentle in a way that only Jack and Fareeha on the weekends when she stays with them…that she used to spend with them before he had lost himself in the job…gets to experience, rolling him onto his back and tenderly brushing sweat-dampened hair out of his face. There’s an expression in his eyes that Jack can’t quite understand, although he’s fairly sure he doesn’t deserve it, but he doesn’t have chance to question it before Gabriel is tucking him back under the covers with a quiet order. “Sleep, Jack…Sleep.”

**

    Jack doesn’t remember falling asleep again, but he finds himself being woken sometime later by gentle hands on his shoulders, shaking him awake. He has to blink, fighting against unusually heavy lids as he reluctantly stirs, opening his eyes to find Gabriel leaning over him. His husband is staring at him with such concern in his eyes that he has to try for a reassuring smile, although he can guess from the way that Gabriel’s eyes darken that it fails. Not that he’s really surprised at this point, he can’t smile, not after everything that had happened and what he’d said to Gabriel and he sighs, glancing away. “I’m sorry…” It’s not enough, but they’re the only words he has right now.

“So am I.” The gentle words startle him, and he glances up before he can stop himself, frowning at the apologetic expression that greets him. “I just wanted to help, but I forgot how devious Ana can be.” His confusion must be written across his face, because Gabriel sighs, shoulders slumping as he rubs awkwardly at his nose. “She sleep darted you…yesterday.”

     Jack takes a moment to absorb the confession, just blinking and breathing, already feeling his eyes threatening to drift shut again. Then his mind catches up, zooming in on that last word and he jolts upright, panic flooding him as his stomach protests the movement and the surging emotions. He can feel the weight of his job pressing in on him again, and he wants to scream. _Yesterday?_ He’s lost an entire day of working. The thought leaves him feeling sick and he opens his mouth to lash, but the words won’t come, not this time. He can’t do it. Not when Gabe is reaching for him, trying to support him as his arms begin to waver, worryingly weak despite the amount of sleep he seems to have had. He can’t bring himself to fight as Gabriel pulls him into his side, arm warm and firm around him, but he does protest.

“I have to work…I have to…”

“Rest.” The new voice makes him flinch and he can feel Gabriel’s arm tightening as he slowly lifts his head, colouring when he realises that they’re not alone. Angela is stood at the end of the bed, studying him with narrowed eyes and a concerned expression that has an uneasy feeling pooling in the pit of his stomach.

    Feeling vulnerable under her gaze he sits up, or rather he tries to, worried by how weak he feels at the moment and how his body is fighting his commands, and he doesn’t complain when Gabriel immediately moves to help him. It takes a couple of minutes before he’s securely propped up against the headboard, Gabriel’s arm now wrapped supportively around his shoulders, his head spinning slightly from the movement although he ignores the sensation in favour of focusing on Angela. He doesn’t feel ill enough to warrant her personal attention, but when he risks a glance at Gabriel and sees the naked concern on his husband’s face, it dawns on him that he must be, because this doesn’t feel like it’s just a case of an overprotective husband demanding that he gets the best treatment. His stomach is churning again, worse this time as he struck with fresh nerves and he glances down. “I can’t rest, not yet…”

“You have to rest,” Gabriel cuts him off, voice stern in a way that Jack hasn’t heard in a long time, although his fingers are gentle when he tilt’s Jack’s head so that they’re facing each other, giving Jack no way to avoid his concerned gaze. “Jack, do you realise that you’ve slept for over a day because of one of Ana’s darts? That’s not supposed to happen! The fact that it did, is a sign that your body…that you, desperately need sleep.”

“But…”

“Jack,” Angela is the one to interrupt him this time, and he would be annoyed if her voice wasn’t so worryingly gentle, and reluctantly he turns his attention back to her. “When was the last time you got a proper night’s sleep? Or ate properly? Or just had a day where you weren’t doing anything related to your work?”

“I…”

“Can’t answer?” Gabriel demands, arching an eyebrow when Jack scowls at him. His expression and voice soften as he reaches up, brushing a thumb across Jack’s cheek before letting it come to rest against the dark bags under his eyes. “I can, it’s been too damn long.”

“Gabe.” It’s a weak protest because Jack knows that he’s right, that they’re both right. He can’t remember the last time he had just spent time with Gabriel that wasn’t filled with work and tense words, or when he’d last had a moment to just be Jack. “I’ve been busy…” It sounds weak in his own ears, but he doesn’t stop, can’t stop. “I should be busy right now, I’ve wasted too much time already.” He hates himself for thinking like that, let alone for saying it and he waits for them to shout at him, or for Gabriel to push him away with the anger that he more than deserves, and he’s shocked when Gabriel pulls him closer instead, resting their heads together even as he shakes his own.

“You’re not going to be doing anything for a while, Jack.”

“You’ve been signed off,” Angela added softly, the words falling flat in the silence that follows as they both wait for Jack’s reaction, and Gabriel finds himself having to move and wrap both arms tightly around his husband as Jack tries to launch himself off the bed.

“What?!” Jack was struggling, fighting to free himself from Gabriel’s hold even as he hated himself for doing it. He didn’t want to work, he didn’t want to be the Strike-Commander, but the work had to be done by someone and it his responsibility. His burden. “But, I have to…”

“Rest.”

“But…my work…” The protest comes out weaker this time, his struggles ceasing a moment later as he runs out of energy and he slumps against Gabriel, eyes heavy again. “I…work…” There are warm fingers brushing through his hair, gentle, soothing and he manages to lift his head just enough to peer up at Gabriel, breath catching at the soft expression on his husband’s face.

“Ana is going to fill in unless the U.N. insists on sending someone else,” Gabriel murmured, leaning in to kiss him softly on the forehead and Jack finds himself leaning into the kiss, eyes slipping shut. He’s so tired and those words are the most beautiful thing he’s heard in a long time, and yet he can’t bring himself to just accept them. The same muzzy feeling as before flooding his mind, and he can feel his eyes stinging as he buries his face against Gabriel’s shoulder, the protest still creeping out.

“I’m the Strike-Commander, I can…”

“Admit defeat gracefully, or I’ll get Ana to dart you again,” Angela cuts him off again, all gentleness lost now and when he lifts his head to look at her, she’s glaring at him, reminding him of why they had worked so hard to recruit her in the first place. “In medical matters I outrank you, and this decision stands.”

    Jack knows that she’s right and something shifts in his chest, the pressure easing as the weight is lifted from his shoulders. He can’t fight this, he doesn’t have to fight it. He’s finally been given the permission to rest, to let go of the work, and yet it’s still not enough to completely ease his concerns, his need to make sure that everything is taken care of and his attention shifts back to his husband as an idea forms.

“Then Gabe….”

“Nope,” Gabriel is quick to cut that thought off, knowing exactly what Jack had been about to say, and he grins down at Jack. He looks brighter and lighter than he has for a long time, and for a moment it distracts Jack, but then his response registers and Jack frowns.

“No?”

“Due to having a ridiculously overworking husband,” Gabriel steals a quick kiss, taking any sting out of his words before pulling back and smirking down at Jack. “I happen to have a lot of leave accrued and I’m going to use it.” Something warm bubbles up in Jack’s chest at those words, hope that he hadn’t felt in a long time blossoming as he stares at Gabriel, not daring to voice the question he wants to ask, and its barely a moment before Gabriel’s expression softens and he leans in to kiss him before answering the silent question. “We’re taking time off Jack. You’re going to rest and catch up on sleep, and then we’re going on holiday. Somewhere nice and quiet, where no one has ever heard of Strike-Commander Morrison Reyes.”

“Really…?”

“Really,” Gabriel promises, making a mental note to thank Ana later as Jack collapses against him, sobbing with relief as the last of the weight leaves his shoulders. They both know it’s only a temporary measure, that there are issues they need to deal with before this happens again, and it will, because he knows Jack. But for now, the promise of having time together. Precious time where they can just be Jack and Gabe is enough, and he leans down, peppering Jack’s face with gentle kisses, barely aware of Angela slipping away to leave them in peace as Jack clings to him.

  


End file.
